Kitchen Renovation

Posted on March 12, 2014

I am so excited to finally share our full kitchen renovation! It is one of my favorite places in the house and I truly enjoy spending time in this space. You won’t believe the transformation; we spent so many hours doing demolition and rebuilding, but it definitely paid off.

The kitchen was in horrible shape when we purchased the home. A quick history: we bought a foreclosure and the kitchen wasn’t even in working condition. There were no countertops, only plywood covered in mold. The cabinets were once probably very beautiful, but unfortunately they were also covered in mold and lots of the beautiful glass work was broken. The only thing I really wanted to keep was the original kitchen sink. Kalyn didn’t think it was very practical, so we came to a compromise. I kept the sink and still plan to refinish it, but it is going to live in the laundry room.

We started demo in this room first because of the horrible smell and the mold; it was clearly the one spot in the house that needed the most attention. This is one of the images posted from the original foreclosure listing, so you can see what we were dealing with:

We ripped everything out, including a few layers of linoleum (complete with asbestos) and a plaster wall, patched and refinished the hardwood floors, and then started rebuilding from there. Lots of elbow grease and MANY hours later, this is the final result:

We left a partial wall, making the space feel more open and larger. It serves as an easy transition from the kitchen to the dining room.

The sink and faucet are two of my favorite elements in the kitchen. Even though I wanted to keep the original sink, Kalyn had a good point in regards to practicality. The sink is a single vessel and there is so much space! The faucet is equally as awesome. It’s a smart touch, so it has a handy attachment that comes out, making dishes and cleaning a lot easier. Plus- it just looks amazing: the color, the shape, the design is really solid. Super happy with the combo!

Another thing I love about the sink is the deep window above it. I have lately become obsessed with plants of all sorts and I loving lining them up in the window sill. If I get bored with a few, I just move them around or change them out; it’s a constant rotation. Kalyn thinks I’m crazy.

Even though he thinks I’m nuts when it comes to my plants, he refuses to let me touch his bonsai tree, which also lives in our kitchen window. His mother got him this tree for his birthday a couple years ago and he’s been taking great care of it ever since. The problem? The original pot it came in was plastic and an ugly shape, clearly meant to be temporary. I found this really cool vintage planter on Etsy and he came home to find it replanted. Luckily the plant survived the repotting and all is well- we’re still married.

Picking out the cabinet hardware was the second most difficult decision in the kitchen (first being the counter top). I tried buying hardware online three different times and ended up sending it all back. I struggled to match the hardware to the faucet, so I decided physically going to a store was the only option. I finally found a great store in Cincinnati, called Norwood Hardware– if you’re in the area I highly recommend; they have tons of options from various manufacturers and exceptional customer service. I went with simple and classic hardware with an antique brass finish. The really cool thing about the hardware is each piece is made from 100% recycled material!

When nearly finished with our kitchen, we ran into a bit of a road bump- the appliances. To be specific, the fridge would not fit into its designated little nook. Kalyn ended up having to freehand cut part of a cabinet out and order a new cabinet door, allowing room for the fridge. In the end, somehow it all worked out.

Overall, I love our kitchen! I don’t think there is a single thing I would change. For a small space, we made the most of it and it’s really functional. We also stayed within a pretty tight budget. We tried to get standard cabinets and appliances, but still make it look unique and custom. Here’s a little tip for making standard cabinets feel custom: build a bulkhead above the cabinets; this will make them appear to extend all the way to the ceiling or trim. It eliminates negative space and elongates your cabinetry.

We also saved a ton of money doing most everything ourself. Believe it or not, demo took the most time. Aside from that, Kalyn did all of the electrical and plumbing work, with the help of my stepdad Chris. I’m lucky to have such handy guys in my life. However, if you’re not handy or don’t have handy friends, no worries- there are so many great tutorials online. We definitely referred to YouTube more than once.

I’m sure we’ll accumulate some more fun little accessories for our kitchen, like tea towels and canisters. I’ll be sure to post little vignettes as they happen! What do you think of our kitchen transformation? I love to hear feedback!

Josie Moffatt

Sarah

Karen

March 12, 2014 at 6:33 pm

Ahhh Sarah!!!! I love this so much, I’d be afraid to cook in there and splash tomato juice everywhere! I’m so proud of you two! Makes me want to do my own little renovation, BUT… I better refrain. I’m ready to see the next room!!!!!!

Good site! I truly love how it is simple on my eyes and the data are well written. I am wondering how I might be notified whenever a new post has been made. I’ve subscribed to your RSS feed which must do the trick! Have a great day!

Sarah

Your kitchen came out beautifully!! What a crazy before and after! Thank you for sharing how you pulled it together and tips like extending standard cabinets to the ceiling. You did an amazing job and I loved seeing the finished room.

Renee

Sarah

September 23, 2014 at 1:01 am

Hi Renee, The gray wall on the left is Benjamin Moore Nimbus Gray, the cabinetry is Dove White by Mohawk, the trim was custom color matched to the cabinetry- it’s pretty close to Sherwin Williams Pure White. Thanks for stopping by!

Sarah

Hi Sarah, The Silestone swatch is called Lagoon. However, they just released new colors and if I could do-over… my new favorites are Helix and Pulsar; both will give you that same marbled look. Thanks for stopping by!

Thank you, Christina! Appliance shopping is super difficult. I wasn’t happy with one brand consistently from a visual aesthetic and my husband was super picky about quality. So, I ended up selecting my favorite styles from three different brands. Appliance brands don’t have to match, just be careful matching the finishes. Most finishes across different name brands are the same, they just label them different colors. My microwave and stove/oven are Whirlpool, the fridge is Samsung, and the dishwasher is GE. I wanted a glossy white finished. Most brands call this ice white. I’m super happy with everything and I wouldn’t have done it differently. Good luck! Thanks for reading. -Sarah

About Me

Designer & Blogger

Hi there! I'm Sarah, creator of this blog. Expect to find inspiration and original content related to: interiors & styling, renovating, DIY, and home improvement projects! My husband Emmett and I are currently renovating our second house in Salt Lake City, Utah. Follow along and say hi!

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